Bullet Casters - Roll Call

Do you cast?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 121 65.4%

  • No, but I'm interested

    Votes: 48 25.9%

  • No and I don't intend to.

    Votes: 16 8.6%
  • Total voters
    185
I shoot mostly antiques and peculiar calibers, so casting is often my only choice. For the most part I am too frugal to buy them although some may mistake this as being cheap :>) Make my own molds out of second hand Lee molds usually.

cheers mooncoon
 
Started by borrowing a lead melting pot and some 45ACP 6 cavity molds. 1 year later I have 7 – 6 cavity molds in 4 calibers looking for a 5th and I have 2 lead melting pots, 1 - 10 pound and 1 - 20 pound. Cast 8-9000 bullets for winter reloading. For a lead source I use range scraps and wheel weights and a little roof flashing. I quench all the bullets right out of the mold into a 5 gallon bucket of water on the ground in front of me. This way the bullet shows little sign when scratched with finger nail. Without quenching you can scratch a groove in the bullet with your finger nail. Factoring the primers and powder it works out to $2 a box of 50 45ACP loaded rounds. That’s not counting, power for melting, fuel to go pick up lead, cost of setup, but in the first year the money I saved covered the cost of the molds and pots(especially at today’s prices). Happy reloading.
 
Casters are the true reloaders. Everyone else is just an assembler of components.
I have three different Lee six cavity moulds for the .45/70. Now they are going to suck up a lot of alloy this spring.
I love the smell of wheel weights in the morning. It smells of lots of shooting.
 
Slug is right bang on.......that's also why precision shooting with cast bullets, is far more difficult and at the same time rewarding, you are using components that you have made yourself and put it all together and made it work. That's why cast bullet benchrest shooting is far more interesting than j-word, and long range cast bullet shooting is more interesting then with j-word bullets, as an example 1000yd. or longer shooting with cast and black powder.
 
I cast mostly handgun calibers (.32 auto, 9mm, 38 special/357 mag, 40/10mm, 44 mag, 45 acp, 45 Colt, etc.) but haven't done any in a couple of years now. I have also cast for rifles in 30-06, 223, 38-55 & 45-70.

I have a good supply of wheelweights on hand as well but as someone said, they are getting harder to come by.
 
I cast for my muzzleloaders and for my BP revolvers, started out helping my Grandad, when I was 10, even helped him make some molds and sizing dies, I'm still looking for some roundball molds that I don't have .445", .375", .451", can anyone suggest a decent Canadian supplier.
 
Currently casting roundball for slingshot ammo, and hoarding wheelweight for casting for black powder use. Stilll don't have the molds I want for that yet.

Cheers
Trev
 
I cast a fair bit and getting more into it all the time . eventually I will cast for everything shoot except my .22 hornet , I am not going to get into dealing with those itty bitty bullets. I may end up swaging bullets from .22LR empties for it.
 
cast bullets

Started casting in 1978 when I got my first 45/70..then .38/,357 pistol..and then the disease spread to cast for 30/30..308..30/06....303. .44 mag and .444 Marlin and finally for my .416 rem Mag about 4 years ago. Have about 15 various bullet molds to help treat this addiction.
 
I cast for .32ACP, .380auto, 9mm, 38spl, 357mag, 40S&W, 30-30, .308Win, 7.62R, .44 Cap N Ball, 50Cal muzzleloader.

I Need Lead!!

Tex sends
 
Guilty as charged! My reloading equipment is in an unheated garage but I cast when the temp allows it. One advantage I have is working in a garage where I have first pick of wheel weights. With the spotty supply of loading components, its sometimes the only way to get the job done.
 
I love casting! I have a pile of Lee moulds. I got into casting right after I read Dean Grennell's article on "tumble lube" bullets. Currently, I have various moulds for .30. .32, .44 Mag. 9mm, .38/357, 7mm, .312, and more. My friend has a mould for 8x56R, and we have new boxer cases. I shoot lots of tumble lube 9mm and .38 Special, as well as .45 acp. I use Lee melting pots, 2 10's and a brand new 20 that I haven't used yet. Very gratifying to see a nice pile of shiney bullets made by YT.:p:p

Just a note: Although I am not a black powder shooter, the fellow who is planning to use wheelweights for his muzzle loader - maybe better get some advice about that from a BP shooter. They may be a bit too hard to tamp down the barrel. BP shooters????????
 
kjohn said:
I
Although I am not a black powder shooter, the fellow who is planning to use wheelweights for his muzzle loader - maybe better get some advice about that from a BP shooter. They may be a bit too hard to tamp down the barrel. BP shooters????????
Click to expand...

If you are shooting patched round ball then does not matter what they are cast from; the ball is normally .010" undersize and the difference is made up by the cloth patching. The ball never touches the bore. If you are shooting mini balls, the hardness of the slug is important relative to the powder charge so that the mini ball expands but does not distort. Maxi balls might be a problem as they are bore riding with an oversize ring

cheers mooncoon
 
:)

Another cast bullet nut checking in. I've been at it since around 1970 and have about 75 moulds from 22 to 45 cal. BTW Andy, what the heck are you doing with ktw's avatar ? :sniper:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom